This application claims the priority of German Patent Document 100 12 973.0, filed in Germany, Mar. 16, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a head restraint for a vehicle seat having a seat cushion and backrest. Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to a head restraint for a vehicle seat having a seat cushion and backrest, comprising: a holding element which can be inserted into the backrest in a manner allowing it to be displaced vertically and latched in place, a padding support is arranged on the holding element, a padded headrest which is held on the padding support and is intended for supporting an occupant""s head, and a pivoting device which is arranged between the holding element and padding support and is intended for inclining the padded headrest about a rotational axis orientated transversely to a seat depth.
In a known head restraint of this type (German Patent Document DE 43 05 909 C2), the holding element has a bent, U-shaped supporting bracket which is held by its legs in two guide sleeves integrated in the backrest in a manner allowing it to be displaced vertically and, on its transverse web which connects the legs, carries a rotating element of the pivoting device. The rotating element sits in an axially displaceable manner on the padding support, which is designed as a U-shaped bracket, with the result that the padded headrest is displaced horizontally and also, in each horizontal sliding position, can be tilted about a pivoting axis running through the transverse web of the supporting bracket. Thus, the padded headrest can be adapted to the height of the seat user by vertical adjustment of the supporting bracket and can be brought up to the head of the seat occupant by horizontal displacement and adjustment of the inclination.
In order to support the head of seat users who differ extremely in height, the head restraint has to be able to be adjusted over a large vertical range. This means that, on the one hand, the head restraint rests on its lower side directly on the upper edge of the backrest and, on the other hand, is at a more or less large distance from the upper edge of the backrest. In the latter case, continuous support of the upper part of the seat occupant""s body, i.e. support of the shoulders, back of the neck and head, is not provided. This interruption in the continuous support of the body may firstly lead to tenseness of the muscular system of the back and back of the neck during relatively long journeys, and secondly, misadjustment, which is easily possible, of the vertical position means that the head restraint does not always provide optimum protection in the event of a crash. Many head restraints are often adjusted in such a manner that they do indeed provide good support of the back of the neck, but this results in a head restraint which is set too low and increases the risk of the neck being broken in the event of a crash. In contrast, when the height of the head restraint is set correctly, the padded headrest does not provide any support for the back of the neck.
The invention is based on the object of providing a head restraint of the type mentioned at the beginning which is anatomically shaped and can be adjusted in height and inclination in such a manner that in every position it forms a continuation of the contour of the seat occupant""s back and into the region of the back of the neck and head.
According to the invention, the object is by a head restraint for a vehicle seat having a seat cushion and backrest, comprising: a holding element which can be inserted into the backrest in a manner allowing it to be displaced vertically and latched in place, a padding support is arranged on the holding element, a padded headrest which is held on the padding support and is intended for supporting an occupant""s head, and a pivoting device which is arranged between the holding element and padding support and is intended for inclining the padded headrest about a rotational axis orientated transversely to a seat depth, wherein the padded headrest has a padded tongue which is integral to it and is pulled out downwards over the padding support for the purpose of supporting a back of an occupant""s neck, wherein a contour of a front surface of the padded headrest and padded tongue reproduces a profile of a back of a head and back of a neck of a vehicle human occupant, and wherein the pivoting device is designed in such a manner that the rotational axis of the padded headrest lies outside the head-restraint structure and, in all intended use vertical settings of the head restraint, always lies on a front surface of the backrest facing the seat occupant.
The head restraint according to the invention has the advantage that it can always be adjusted in height and inclination in such a manner that it always realizes a continuous support for the upper part of the body in the region of the shoulders, back of the neck and head. Maximum safety and maximum comfort are interlinked here, i.e. the head restraint provides maximum safety if it is set comfortably for the seat occupant. Wrong setting is reduced to a minimum; this is because a head restraint which is set too low presses against the back and signals to the seat occupant that he/she has to set the head restraint higher. By designing the pivoting device in such a manner that the imaginary or hypothetical rotational axis always lies on the level backrest surface during pivoting of the head restraint, the best possible support of the muscular system of the back of the neck is ensured. In the event of a crash (rear or frontal impact), the head restraint according to the invention provides good support, since the impact surface is situated very close to the back of the head and the fixing device means that the impact forces are passed on directly to the backrest structure via the holding element.
Advantageous features of preferred embodiments of the head restraint according to the invention together with expedient developments and refinements of the invention are described herein and in the claims.
The pivoting movement of the padded headrest, which takes place about the pivot axis of the padded headrest lying outside the structure of the head restraint, specifically always in the region of the level backrest surface, can be executed manually or electrically, it being possible for the movement of the padded headrest, which takes place along concentric circles about the rotational axis, to be realized in the pivoting device by a gear mechanism and multiplication means or by a linkage mechanism and slotted guide. In this case, the padded headrest can be fixed in every position. When the padded headrest is pivoted by motor, the position of the head restraint can be preset automatically via mapping control, all of the seat-setting positions being taken into consideration. Automatic positioning of the head restraint may also take place by detecting the position of the occupant. The preset position may be corrected at any time by the occupant.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.